The New Normal
by Lana Langston
Summary: A seemingly "ordinary" day for Kate Russell...until her boyfriend unexpectedly drops by her house and chaos soon ensues. Each day always brings something interesting for Katie especially with her eclectically dynamic family.
1. Chapter 1

Every summer, I make it a goal to re-read Night Huntress series. I always find new jewels of awesomeness no matter how many times I've already read the books. This time I re-read NH novels two new story ideas popped into my head. I'm still working on the other story concept but will publish it before summer ends. I thoroughly enjoy writing FanFiciton stories for the Night Huntress book universe.

This story takes place 10 years after Up From The Grave (Book 6)! It gives a glimpse into the life of Katie Russell (aged up to 17 years old). I will be mainly writing from Katie's POV but might occasionally alternate between other characters' POV.

 _ **Warning: There are MAJOR spoilers from Up From The Grave. If you haven't read the entire the Night Huntress series, I'd highly recommend it. You'll better understand the character dynamics and plethora of book references sprinkled in this story.**_

 _ **This is rated T for mild to strong swearing and possibly some suggestive content.**_

 **Disclaimer:** **_Night Huntress characters belong to the the amazing Jeaniene Frost, not me._**

 ** _Now you're ready to start reading The New Normal! I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! Hope you enjoy my story! R &R!_**

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 _~Katie's POV~_

Sending a powerful roundhouse kick across the vampire's face, he instantly crumpled to the ground as a low growl escaped his lips. There was an audible snap of his neck. This injury would have easily killed a mere human. Yet, his reflexes and healing time were sure as hell faster than mine. Within a few seconds, the black-haired vampire was back on his feet in a defensive stance. His lips curled into a taunting smirk. I was going to wipe that smugness off his face!

I had a good strategy: jump on the vampire's back and use the element of surprise to distract him before stabbing the knife right into his chest.

Jumping onto his back, one of my arms firmly locked around the vampire's neck as my legs wrapped around his waist. The other free hand gripped the wickedly curved knife. The vampire's balance teetered while attempting to loosen my vise-like grip on him. I used this distraction as momentum to raise the blade and proceed to bury it into his chest cavity. Conceptually my fighting technique was brilliantly, unfortunately my plan rapidly backfired on me. Two things happened in the next instant: the black-haired vampire carried out a forward flip sending me flying through the air and painfully crashing against the hard ground. My curved knife slipped from my hand and clattered to the ground. Dammit it was way out of my reach!

"Son of a bitch" I barked out in aggravated frustration. Powerful waves of agonizing pain reverberated through my entire body. Definitely a mild concussion and some cracked ribs. Each breath jostled the cracked ribs. I've built up a high pain tolerance over the past few years. Despite the dual vampire and ghoul nature in my DNA, it still took me longer to recover from my injuries. Thankfully, it was damn near difficult for anyone, regardless if they're human or undead, to kill me.

The black-haired vampire casually crouched on his haunches while flashing a fanged smile in my direction. In my current condition, it was still too painful to shift into an upright position to glare at the vampire. "Next time, _princesa_ ," Juan mockingly remarked.

He had hardly broken a sweat during our training session and looked ridiculously flawless despite his shoulder-length hair falling messily onto his tanned face. Gracefully rising to his feet, he straightened out the wrinkles in his black t-shirt. Juan grabbed the curved knife from the ground and sauntered towards my supine body. The sharp, curves blade sliced deep into his palm. He extended the bloodied hand to me. Without hesitation, I accepted it and swallowed several gulps of blood before the wound closed up. The healing properties were immediately working to fully mend my injuries.

I'm not your average seventeen year old girl. Ever since I was a young girl, my family emphasized the fact to never be ashamed of ghoulish and vampiric DNA. Instead I should learn to use it to my advantage. For the past two years, I trained twice a week with Dave, Juan, or Denise to become a stronger, resilient fighter against any undead species. Vampire. Ghoul. Demon. I want to make my family proud by establishing a formidable reputation within the undead communities one day. Until then I'm doing what most normal teenagers partake in.

My family is also anything but normal...yet we are pretty function despite our dynamic personalities. My immediate family includes: my mother, father, stepfather, grandmother, and uncle. They're all vampires. I have a wide variety of non-immediate family members consisting of close family friends. Also, I'm close with some members under my stepfather's and uncle's lines. I've grown up my entire life around supernatural beings. I don't have to hide what I am to them. Although being around humans isn't always easy for me.

It was a Saturday evening and the night was still young. Unlike most kids my age, I found absolutely no appeal in recklessly partying until I forgot my own name. My undead DNA naturally gives me a high alcohol tolerance. I was in no mood to meet up with any of my friends tonight. I showered right after my training session and changed into a baggy band t-shirt and yoga pants. My long golden brown hair was neatly plaited into a French braid. Flopping on my comfy bed, I drowned out everything around me as Within Temptation blasted from my Beats headphones. Lingering soreness seeped into my bones which provided little motivation to move from my bed. Typically, I'd fully recovered from my injuries within a day. Vampire blood tends to sped up my recovery time.

I had no idea what the exact time was but my nocturnal body clock notified me it was at least late evening. I couldn't think of any other better way to spend my Saturday night than simply unwinding and relaxing in my room.

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 _ **Stay tuned for the next chapter of The New Normal!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I'm currently working on Chapter 3 of this story...I have some exciting plot twists in store for you all. I'll do my best to update the next chapter soon. I love to challenge and push myself as an author by writing from the POVs of other characters in The Night Huntress book universe.**_

 _ **Here's the next chapter of The New Normal! This chapter is mainly from Cat's POV. **_

_**Enjoy! I'd greatly appreciate your constructive criticism! R &R!**_

* * *

 _~Katie's POV~_

Nothing exciting was happening in my house. My grandmother was in the kitchen whilst casually chatting with my mom's best friend, Denise. Bones and Uncle Ian were discussing vampire matters in the study. My mother, father, and Juan congregated in the living room playing Texas Hold 'Em. While my undead DNA gives me heightened abilities, I still have my limitation. I've been continuously working on sharpening my heightened senses. Although, eavesdropping on stronger supernatural creatures like Master vampires was damn near impossible.

My eyelids became increasingly heavy as I lightly dozed off. I was mentally and physically exhausted after rigorous hours of homework and intense training session.

 _~Cat's POV~_

The transition to vampirism hadn't made Tate and Juan any better at card games _especially_ Texas Hold 'Em. It's nice to know some things don't change. We'd already burned through two bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey. Our house is fully stocked with a wide array of alcohol. It's kept heavily protected by a complex security system I _personally_ designed. It deterred my teenage daughter to gain access to our alcohol collection. Thankfully Katie wouldn't suffer from the consequences of consuming too much alcohol in her entire life thanks to her part vampire and ghoul DNA. Yet, I would do my damnedest to ensure she didn't pick up this habit at a young age.

My mother and Denise were avidly chattering on about their favorite cooking recipes. Domestic tasks such as cooking wasn't exactly my forte nor cup of tea. I basically lived on TV dinners and take-out food when I lived alone in my apartment during my short stint as a college student at Ohio State University almost fifteen years ago. Perks of being a vampire meant food was no longer what nutritionally sustained me. It made life a hella easier.

In the study room, my husband and Ian were on a conference call with Mencheres, Ian's sire and Bones' co-ruler. The Egyptian mega-Master vampire maintained contact with us to give occasional updates about the happenings in our extensive line. Most of the vampiric society believed Bones and I were still royally pissed off at Mencheres these past ten years for notifying the vampire council about Katie. The vampire council publicly "executed" my daughter for her being a potential instrument to incite a war between vampire and ghouls. Bones, Tate, and I have laid-low since then raising Katie in our dysfunctional yet dynamic family. You don't always get to choose your family. Yet no matter how frustrating they are you never stop loving them.

The riotous fun I was having with my two best friends came to an abrupt halt. An unfamiliar vibe lurking around the house made us three simultaneously freeze. This presence gave off hints of mild undead vibe. We were on high alert while silently communicating with only our eyes. Juan left the living room and casually strolled into the kitchen so not to alarm my mother. The back door in the kitchen closed shut. Tate, Juan, and I would investigate this matter first before alerting the others for back-up to neutralize the threat skulking around our house.

Tate and I anxiously awaited Juan's report. Ever since we disappeared from the supernatural community's radar, we constantly feared for our daughter's safety. The idea that some in the supernatural community weren't entirely convinced Katie was truly dead never stopped assaulting our thoughts.

My iPhone buzzed with a new text message alert. Juan's iMessage simply read: non-lethal threat. I audibly breathed a sigh of relief at this wonderful news. Tate arched an eyebrow at my reaction.

"False alarm," I began to explain. "We don't need to neutralize the intruder on our property. I'd sure as hell love to know who the fuck is loitering around this late at night. You picked the wrong house, buddy." I jumped to my feet stomping out of the living room right to the front door. Our mysterious visitor impatiently paced back and forth on our front porch. Tate followed closely behind me. Our behavior didn't garner attention from any of the other supernatural beings within the household. The past nine years have been relatively peaceful because of how overly paranoid we'd been to ensure our anonymity is protected.

As I reached the front door, I realized I had to radiate the image of a domestic wife and mother. My deep V-neck halter and denim mini-skirt screamed anything but devoted wife and mother. Also, my re-dyed red hair and gunmetal grey eyes might immediately give me away as the notorious Red Reaper. Screw it. It wasn't like anyone would believe that either Tate or I were Katie's biological parents considering we appeared to look no older than in our early 30's. It would be best to portray Katie's older siblings anyway. This would ease the intruder's nerves. It was time to find out the identity of our mysterious visitor.

"Just follow my lead, Tate," I said tersely. He nodded in acknowledgement. After working so many years together with my uncle, we'd formed unbreakable bonds of trust despite our few rough patches over the years. True friends stick with you through all of life's trials and tribulations.

I pulled out my hair out of the messy bun letting my crimson tresses cascade down to my shoulder. Yanking the door opened, I leisurely strolled out into the porch with Tate closely flanking my side. "I cannot believe you've never seen The Princess Bride! That's an _essential_ life requirement...truly an unforgettable move that gets better each time you watch it!" I passionately commented.

Tate had no idea what I was doing but he followed along as if he knew. He merely shrugged. "If I had some time to kill, I'd sleep or hang out with some of my buddies. Also, the movie title gives off a chick romantic comedy vibe."

Our mysterious stranger was comfortably sprawled across in a white wicker chair. His eyes were closed but I wouldn't assume he was taking a light nap. It could easily be a trap to lure us closer.

"What the hell, bro! You know mom explicitly said your buddies were could not crash at our house when they were totally plastered. We aren't a place of refuge for your drunk idiot friends." Tate arched a brow silently conveying his annoyance seamlessly going along with my improvised scheme.

"This is seriously hypocritical bullshit! If the situation was vice versa she'd gladly welcome your drunk friends inside," he angrily countered. We simultaneously gauged our human intruder while feigning a sibling argument.

Element of surprise would be the best tactic. I closed to the distance between us and the stranger. Yanking our mysterious intruder by his jacket collar, this really startled the brunet teenage boy as his feet dangled few feet from the ground. His hazel eyes immediately fixed on me no doubt emanating unadulterated panic. He looked around the same age as my daughter possibly a little older give or take a couple years.

"Get your ass back to your house, buddy! We are not taking in my older brother's loser friends." I bellowed while shaking him. No doubt everyone in the house could hear what was happening on out front porch. They didn't rush out implying no one sensed any imminent danger.

"Let me go. Who the hell are you two? I've never seen either of you before!" he stammered. "Katrina never mentioned any older siblings." A smidge of a British accent bled through his overall Canadian accent.

Now that seriously baffled me. Despite my firm grip on his jacket collar, I stopped shaking the teenage boy. "There's no one by the name of Katrina in this household. You've definitely got the wrong place. Keep moving...nothing to see here."

A confused expression washed over his face. "243 Clover Drive? I'm pretty sure I got the right address." All fear drained from his hazel eyes. The stranger's body half-sagged in my strong grasp.

Before I could reply, Tate's voice rang out behind me. "How do you know this address?"

"Give me the description of this person you refer to as Katrina," I added right afterward.

The teenage boy wearily glanced between Tate and myself before thinning his lips in deep contemplation. Smart fella to think before he responded to us. You didn't want to piss us off _especially_ right now.

"Wavy golden brown hair and stunning grey eyes," he stated directly looking at me then swung his gaze to Tate. "After a late night study session with our friends, I insisted on walking her back home. No young lady should walk home alone."

I felt the strongest urge to give the kid a gold star. Here I though chivalry was long dead in the society we currently live in. It appears not.

I was shocked to learn this revelation. The dating talk never seemed needed since she hardly showed interest in guys. The poor bastard would endure intense interrogation from Bones, Tate, and myself. Not an awkward "meet the parents" conversation. I drastically underestimated Katie. The apple doesn't fall from the tree apparently. The verdict was still out on her suitor, but I was glad she assumed another name besides her real name. Mixed emotions flashed across my friend's face. Tate's body was ramrod straight as if Mencheres or my husband telekinetically immobilized him.

"What's your name?" I inquired. His feet no longer dangled off the ground yet I maintained my steadfast grip on his shoulders. My skeptical gaze closely examined him from head to toe. Short cropped brown hair sharply contrasted his delicate oval face. Averagely handsome. Average body build. No wonder he escaped my notice. There was no wow factor about this kid.

"Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to not call before paying a visit to a young lady, mate? It's such a shame youngsters nowadays don't know what are proper manners," a voice behind us quipped with a superfluous hand gesture. Ian leaned against the front door with his hands folded across his bare chest. He wore only black silk pajama pants. Fricken vampires and their preference for wearing as little clothing as possible. His shoulder-length chestnut hair was loosely tied back in a ponytail.

Tate still remained motionless except now he glowered at the teenage boy in my firm grip. His hands were tightly balled up in a fist. Tate's indigo eyes light up bright green. If looks could kill, his gaze could slice like deadly sliver blades.

"I...my...uhm name is Oliver. Everyone calls me Ollie," the teenage boy nervously sputtered. Hazel eyes frantically flickered from Tate, Ian, and me. This will teach the kid to never show up to our house unexpectedly again.

"Why don't we all go inside and get better acquainted?" Ian indifferently suggested feigning a yawn. Always an overly dramatic flair for _everything_ he does. Basically a one-man walking theatrical show.

"That sounds like a bloody smashing idea, Ian."

I turned my glance to my friend thinking it was he who spoke. Nope I was wrong. His silence spoke incredible volumes. Tate's lips thinned into a menacing grimace.

An immensely powerful aura unleashed around me electrocuting every nerve ending in my body. Without a doubt, I knew it was my husband _not_ Mencheres. Bones stood a few feet behind me with his hands casually shoved into the pockets of navy blue robe. The loosely tied robe tantalizingly exposed pale, taut bare chest. The meeting with Mencheres must have ended not too long ago.

Oliver frantically wriggled in my grasp as his eyes widens upon full realization of his mistake of underestimating Katie's family. "I'll come back another day when Katrina is here. If I'm not back home soon my parents are going to kill me..." Oliver rambled while futilely attempting to escape my iron grip.

"Bullocks. You're full of shite, mate," Bones spat out. Vile repulsion dripped with each word. "You're way out of your league. My stepdaughter deserves much better than you." His power continued to unfold as it almost suffocated me. This poor bastard pissed off the _wrong_ person. Not only was Bones a Master vampire and notorious former hitman, my husband absorbed a shitload of abilities from Mencheres including telepathy, telekinesis, and regeneration even from the point of near death. At least for now...time will tell if more pop up.

Heavy tension hung in the air like the big-ass elephant in the room. Right now, I wasn't sure if Tate or my husband would kill Oliver first. I needed to diffuse this situation quickly. Ian simply watching entire fiasco in amused rapture. He even had a bowl of popcorn plopped in his hands. Un- _fucking_ -believable! Family seriously can be a pain in the ass.

Tate unclenched his fist and proceed towards Oliver, who squirmed more frenetically in my grip. The front door opened right at that moment. My mother chose that _exact_ moment to walk onto the porch.

"Denise and I were having a lovely chat but ya'll were being obnoxiously loud. I came out here to see what all the racket was," my mother began before trailing off when noticing the teenage boy in my grasp. She arched an intrigued brow surveying the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. "Who do we have here?"

"I'm no one just passing through the neighborhood..." Ollie immediately blurted before Bones telekinetically silenced him. Oliver opened his mouth but no words let alone sounds came out. Only pathetic gasps of air.

"Let me save you time, Justina. This arrogant prick thinks he is worthy of dating your granddaughter," my husband said curtly.

My mother sucked in a sharp breathe. Not that she needed to breathe being a vampire. In the next instant, her brows furrowed and blue eyes angrily narrowed in the teenage boy. Her eyes bled emerald. Oh dear god. Right now I can't decide if I want to throttle then sucker punch Ian or Bones or both of them. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse.

Hell I can get Bones and Tate to calm down. Justina Crawford was an entirely different story. Once you unleash her inner enraged dragon there is no easy way of calming my mother down. Here I thought my Saturday would be a casual evening of Texas Hold 'Em with my two best buds, Juan and Tate. How horribly wrong I was. I desired some inking of normalcy in my life.

The fiasco rapidly exacerbated before my very eyes. I felt like bashing my head against a wall in a futile effort to blow off my frustration. Where the fuck was Mencheres or Vlad when I _desperately_ needed them to defuse this ticking time bomb?

My mother ripped Oliver out of my grasp and forcefully dragged him into our house. The teenage boy kicked and resisted against my mother's death grip. Hell hath no fury than an extremely enraged Justina Crawford. To say she overly protective of Katie was a _vast_ understatement.

My husband and best friend followed closely behind my mother in matching angry strides. Most days they could hardly stand each other, yet they learned to tolerate one another's presence over the years. There were rare moments where they didn't bicker like school children and actually agreed on something. Both of them were headstrong men who were fiercely protective of those they loved. There was one thing they could find common ground on: our Katie.

Denise hurried out of the kitchen right into the living room to see what the ruckus and commotion was. She arched an eyebrow in intrigue at my mother. She still held Oliver in her death grip which basically held him stationary in one spot. The enraged glower never left her face. Poor guy had no idea how much worse my mother was compared to Tate and Bones. My mother had to learn to wear the pants to supplement the lack of a fatherly figure in my life while raising a half-breed daughter. She would be very particular in determining who was worthy of dating her beloved granddaughter. We all wanted Katie to end up with someone who truly accepted all of her.

My mother roughly shoved Ollie onto the suede couch. Bones and Tate stood on either side of her. Despite his casual stance, my husband was anything but the image of serene calmness. He stood motionless like a chiseled yet severely pissed off Greek statue with an indecipherable facial expression. It was _completely_ opposite with Tate. His face scrunched into livid expression and emerald gaze intensely glared at the teenage boy. Oliver entirely avoided looking at the three adults menacingly towering over him by averting his glance solely to his sandaled-feet. Tension crackled in the living room that not even Denise dared to mutter a word. Denise and I nervously watched from the foyer. I'm not sure Ollie will make it out of our house in one piece let alone alive if I don't do something to ease the heavy tension.

"There's two sides to a story. While I'm not exactly thrilled about my daughter secretly dating behind our backs, I think we need to hear what she has to say," I began in a neutral tone. No need to further frightened the young lad.

"I'll go retrieve Katie," a male voice replied behind me. I whirled around thinking it was Juan. Wrong. Ian casually leaned against the stairway railing while examining his fingernails. Somewhere between the porch and inside the house, the bowl of popcorn had magically disappeared. I'd been so distracted with defusing this ticking time bomb in the living room to notice Ian had come back inside.

Bones gave an affirmative nod at his cousin. Before I had any chance to give my input, Ian was already halfway up the stairs.

 _~Katie's POV~_

A series of loud knocks rudely awakened me. I rolled off my comfy bed as my bones audibly creaked. I just wanted to be left alone, but it seems that wasn't going to happen. Removing my Beats headphones, I tossed them onto the bed and padded towards the door. I cast a hasty glance at my alarm clock. It was 11: 15 pm. Someone was probably checking up on me since I haven't gone downstairs in several hours.

I cracked the door slightly ajar letting a sliver of light into my dark bedroom. "I'm not hungry. It's been a long day so I was heading to bed early..." I tersely said and proceed to slam the door shut.

I began to close the door, but my attempt was utterly useless. A slender yet muscular pale arm shot out immediately through the crevice. "Your presence is requested downstairs _right now_. You're either coming on your free will or forcefully. Your choice, Katie." The door swung wide open. Bright light flooded my dark room. After several blinks, my eyes slowly registered my uncle was standing in the hallway.

Uncle Ian never made baseless threats. I might as well go downstairs on my free will rather than being dragged kicking and screaming. I let out a resigned sigh and walked out into the hallway slamming the door behind me.

Whatever this was about, it better be damn worth crawling out of my warm and snuggly bed! If it's for something trivial I'll be _very_ annoyed. There better be a good reason for dragging me downstairs!

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 _ **Katie has no idea what she's about to walk into...stay**_ ** _tuned for the next chapter of The New Normal!_**

 _ **I appreciate you support for my story!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day weekend.**_

 _ **Here's the new chapter of The New Normal.**_

 _ **Enjoy! I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! R &R! **_

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_~Katie's POV~_

I begrudgingly trailed behind Uncle Ian, who merrily whistled "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift. An amused smirk was plastered on his face. This was very perplexing. Anxiety suddenly filled me since I had not a clue of what I was about to walk into downstairs. I'm assuming my parents wanted to talk to me about something.

Uncle Ian casually leaned against the intricately twisted metal stairway railing. I nonchalantly brushed past him strolling into the living room. Standing in the high arched entryway of the living room, my mother and Denise silently exchanged nervous gazes before directing their glance back to my stepfather, father, and grandmother. Each of them stood still as if they were Greek statutes. Their facial expressions conveyed drastically different emotions. My attention was solely focused on them that I hardly noticed young man sitting on the suede couch. His hunched shoulders and inability to meet their gazes gave away his uncomfortable awkwardness.

 _Why was the room so fucking silent?_ Strong gusts of wind beating against the windows were the only sounds in the living room.

Suddenly understanding dawned on me as the light-bulb went off in my head. I thought my father, stepfather, and grandmother were scowling at me. Wrong. Their eyes vehemently narrowed on the young man seated on the couch. His back was to me so I couldn't clearly see his face. Short cropped brown hair hugged his head. _I wander who our guest is?_ Something about this boy was very familiar. I just couldn't quite put a finger on what exactly. A very subtle detail immediately caught my attention. A small silver hoop earring dangling from his right earlobe. There was only _one_ boy I knew with a pierced ear: Oliver Johnson.

I sucked in a sharp gasp. "Fuck." The obscenity flew out as my hand immediately covered my mouth. To say I was in deep shit was a _vast_ understatement!

My father, stepfather, and grandmother instantaneously shifted their attention from Oliver to me. Their bright emerald livid glares seared through me. No longer sensing their angry stares on him, my boyfriend twirled around to see what the three pissed off vampires were looking at.

Hazel eyes widened in disbelief. "Katrina?" Only a few of my friends knew I could swear like a sailor. Oliver was not one of those people though. His mouth opened to speak but promptly closed shut. My stepfather redirected his furious scowl back to my boyfriend. He had telekinetically silenced Oliver.

"Don't you dare...let him speak!" I barked.

"Watch your tongue, young lady," my grandmother harshly reprimanded me. "Don't you speak to you stepfather in that tone. Show some respect!"

"You have a lot of explaining of do, Katie. Better start talking before we all lose our patience with you," my father added. He tightly crossed his arms across his chest. His hands tightly clenched into fists. My father almost never lost his temper and snapped at me.

Confusion washed over my boyfriend's face. He didn't know my real name was Katie.

My mother's face blanched into a horrified expression. She couldn't make direct eye contact with me. Denise placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The only person who showed no signs of disappointment or seething anger was Uncle Ian. He simply grinned from ear to ear watching the scene unfold in sheer delight. He always had a twisted sense of humor. My uncle wouldn't be smirking if he was the one being fiercely roasted by everyone.

There was one person missing. I mentally recalled everyone who was in the house this evening. _Mother. Father. Stepfather. Grandmother. Uncle. Mom's best friend. Where the hell was Juan?_ "Where's Juan?" I mused aloud. "The last time I saw him was during our training session this afternoon."

"Don't try to change the subject, Katie," my mother countered, raising her voice. "Answer your father _now_!"

"This is all one huge misunderstanding. Everyone needs to calm down!" Trying to not aggravate them any further, I fought the strong urge to spout off something snarky.

My stepfather interjected. "Misunderstanding, my arse!" he angrily bellowed. "You blatantly lied to us about your involvement with Oliver."

"My involvement? God you all are so old-fashioned!" I echoed indignantly. "We've only been dating for two weeks. You can't scare away all the guys who want to date me. It isn't easy for find many guys who _genuinely_ accept me especially with my freaky DNA."

My family _completely_ missed the point I was trying to express.

"Two weeks you've been dating this boy?" my grandmother exclaimed in horror.

"How come it never occurred to you to formally introduce us to your boyfriend?" my mother added. Hurt flickered in her grey irises. I'm very close to my family and they feel affronted I lied to them for two weeks about dating Oliver Johnson.

"After a study session with some of our friends, Oliver and I grabbed a late dinner off-campus. We starting chatting and realized we had much in common. Oliver was orphaned as a young child with no other family to take him in. Claude, a close friend of his parents, took Ollie under his wing and has raised him ever since. My boyfriend knows about supernatural creatures considering Claude is a vampire. We've both grown up around supernatural beings our entire lives."

My mother and grandmother sucked in a sharp gasp. I knew there was seething rage boiling in my stepfather's deceivingly unperturbed facial expression. My father was the _complete_ opposite. With his fisted hands tightly crossed across his broad chest, rage intensely burned in his indigo eyes. The shocking revelation about Claude's guardian being a vampire hardly phased either my father or stepfather.

"How come I've never heard of your guardian, Oliver?" my stepfather inquired. His emerald gaze intensely seared my boyfriend. He uncomfortably squirmed on the suede couch. Since I entered the living room, this was the first time he had directly addressed Oliver.

"I lived abroad for many years, sir," Oliver began. His voice slightly faltered as he avoided direct eye contact with my stepfather. "Claude grew up in London. His business temporarily relocated him to Vancouver for many years. My parents were his business associates and close friends. After accepting the role of being my legal guardian, we moved back to England. I've lived there for almost twelve years. I decided to return back to British Columbia for college. I've felt like a freak my entire life...always having to lie about my unusual upbringing. When Katrina...I mean Katie...walked into my life I knew she was the one person outside of my unconventional family that I could be _truly_ myself without any false pretense. It's so damn tiring to keep up my charade just to blend into society without immediately being labeled as a freak. I deeply care about your daughter, mister. We understand each other."

My grandmother's harsh gaze softened with sympathy. Painful nostalgia washed over my mother's face. Denise gave her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. My father flashed an empathetic glance at my mom. My mother personally struggled with coming to terms with her half-breed genetic having no one else outside of her immediate family to talk to. It isn't easy growing up having no friends when you always stuck out like sore thumb in society. Also, she was born out of wedlock which was viewed as a heinous sin in her small hometown of Lickings, Ohio. My mother lived her entire life an outcast freak of nature. It wasn't until meeting my stepfather she began to accept her unique nature and use it to her advantage. That's also how she met my father. He worked alongside with her under my great-uncle Don for many years. I have a very unconventional, complicated family yet I wouldn't trade it for a "normal" family. They encourage me to embrace my vampire and ghoul DNA by never letting anyone make me feel ashamed for it.

Silence heavily lingered in the living room.

My stepfather tapped his chin as his face transformed into a calmly contemplative expression. I wasn't sure if this was good or bad. "I want to believe you have the best intentions with my stepdaughter, mate. Yet, I still need to do my own intensive background check to confirm what you've told us. Tell me more about your vampire guardian, Claude."

"What exactly would you like to know about him?" Ollie politely beseeched, unwaveringly meeting my stepfather's inquisitive gaze.

"What's the full human name of your guardian?" my stepfather implored. "I'm going to safely assume Claude was the name he assumed after becoming a vampire. Not many vampires retain their human names after the transition but there certainly are some exceptions to that rule." His gaze flickered towards Ian, who still lingered by the stairwell. Uncle Ian flashed a smug smile in response. He had no shame of his conceited personality.

"Claude is his real name. Technically it's his middle name," my boyfriend corrected. "Edmund Claude Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire."

With his iPhone resting in the palm of his hand, my stepfather typed away on the smartphone's touchscreen keyboard. He raised his head and arched a dark eyebrow in intrigue at Ollie.

Ian decided to join the conversation. "Do you know when Claude was changed into a vampire? I might have some contacts that know him," he added.

Ollie's face scrunched in contemplation. "I'm pretty sure he told me that story. If only I could remember the exact year," my boyfriend mused aloud. In the next instant, his face light up as the pertinent information flooded back into his memory. "Ah it was around late 1878. He loves talking the good old days of Victorian London. Claude was 25 years old when he transitioned into a vampire though he looks more around early 30s."

Making a mental note to themselves, Uncle Ian and my stepfather simultaneously nodded to each other. My stepfather snorted in amusement. "Claude was born with an aristocratic title which is why he has very fond memories of London back in the 1870's. My cousin, Ian, and I were illegitimate bastards. Despite one or both of our parents being of aristocratic lineage, we were forced to fend for ourselves. Victorian London brings back painful memories for us."

"Fucking understatement, Crispin. Our human years were absolutely horrid. We fought resiliently to survive even when all the odds were stacked against us," Uncle Ian emphasized with conviction. "Though, London was way more fun _after_ transitioning into a vampire."

Interrupting my stepfather's reply, a male voice with a thick Spanish accent delightfully rang out from the kitchen. "Wahoo! The snickerdoodle and macadamia white chocolate cookies are ready. I'll bring a large plate of cookies for everyone into the living room." This immediately diverted everyone's attention towards the kitchen.

 _You've got to be fucking kidding me! Juan was in the kitchen this whole time! Unbelievable!_ I can't believe I didn't sense Juan's presence in the house especially considering his close proximity to the living room. I was too engrossed in this intense interrogation with my family to bother checking for anyone still lingering around.

He removed the noise-cancelling headphones from each ear. It comfortably rested around his neck. Since I last saw him several hours, Juan had changed out of his dark training clothing into normal street clothes. Some cookie crumbs clung to the collar of his white Ralph Lauren polo. Snickerdoodle and macadamia white chocolate cookies were stacked high on a large, circular ceramic plate. Juan was completely oblivious to the palpable tension suffocating the entire living room space. The absolute silence and blank stares from everyone soon tipped Juan off about the volatile, ticking time bomb situation rapidly unfolding. "Uhm...did I interrupt something?" he cautiously articulated while methodically scanning each person in the room.

"Put that large platter of delicious cookies on the mahogany table," my mother instructed him, pointing her slim finger at the long, rectangular table in front of the suede couch. "I know you'd eat that entire tray of cookies if we weren't here."

"That hurts, _querida_ ," he remarked with an affronted expression as his hand dramatically fluttered to his chest.

"I agree with, Cat. I don't trust you being around that many cookies," my father added with subtle smirk. "I didn't bake two batches of cookies for you to devour them all. I wanted to save them for Katie's birthday party tomorrow...but I guess we can eat them now." His eyes returned back to its normal indigo color. His livid glower softened to a friendly appearance.

Within a short span of time, my boyfriend felt very overwhelmed through rigorous cross-examination from my intimidating family. Poor Oliver had no idea he'd be signing up for this when he asked me out two weeks ago. Oliver Johnson seriously had guts to bravely endure their interrogation. My eccentrically dynamic family made his "family" seems so much more normal despite how unconventional it was.

So far Oliver had only spoken when instructed to being deathly afraid to piss them off even more. His dark eyebrows shot up to his forehead. "I'm not sure I heard that correctly," he muttered shaking his head.

"Hear what correctly, mate?" Uncle Ian said. "If you have something to say, speak up."

"It's nothing," my boyfriend countered immediately clamming up. He nervously twiddled his thumbs.

"If it was nothing you wouldn't have opened your mouth. Now spit it out, young man," my grandmother demanded.

Slightly tilting his head down, Ollie took a deep breathe before directly meeting her fierce gaze. "I was just a little surprised to hear Katie's older brother bakes," he clarified with the utmost respect. He didn't want to incur any more of my grandma's ire.

"Is there something wrong with baking being one of my avid hobbies?" my father asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

Unable to vocalize a response, Oliver tersely shook his head.

"That's what I thought. Also, I'm not her older brother. Cat and I are Katie's biological parents," my father bluntly corrected my boyfriend, pointing to my mother then back to him.

This startling piece of information caused Ollie's bowed head to immediately snap up. His mouth hung agape and face contorted into a perplexed expression. "How is that even possible?" he blurted out unintentionally. "Both of you look no older than early 30s. That makes no sense." Nothing was adding up in his mind.

My mother and father proceed to open their mouth but Juan swiftly interjected. "It's extremely complicated, _niño_. Just remember this for future reference," he strongly advised Ollie.

"For your information, baking is a very relaxing pastime for me," my father admitted with pride. "Cat is my dearest friend, but you do not want her in the kitchen cooking. It's absolutely disastrous."

With her hands firmly planted on her hips, her gunmetal grey eyes narrowed at my father. "That's exceptionally uncalled for, Tate!" my mother objected with outrage.

"I love you, darling, but unfortunately I have to agree with him," my grandma brazenly confessed directly meeting my mother's angry glare. "Your cooking skills are atrociously terrible. Why do you think we thwart all of your offers to cook for us?"

"Thanks for the brutal honesty," my mother sarcastically responded. "I'm not that awful of a cook. Right, Denise?" Denise apologetically shrugged quickly averting her eyes towards the framed pictures lining the stairwell.

She glanced at my stepfather who affirmatively nodded his head. "Sorry but it's the truth, kitten."

Uncle Ian spoke up. "Please stay out of the kitchen for the sake of all or our sanities, Cat. Brutal honesty hurts but you were bound to find out one day," he bluntly stated.

"Fuck you, Ian! No one asked for your opinion!" my mother lividly ranted at him. She refocused her attention back to everyone else. "Over the past several years, I've worked my ass off to take on more wifely and motherly roles. You all don't show a shred of appreciation."

Wide-eyed, Oliver gaped in horror witnessing a heated family spat unfold in front of his own eyes. At least now he knew what was getting himself into by dating me. Everyone in my family is stubborn, even to the point of irrationality, yet we've learn to somewhat functionally co-exist under the same roof. At the end of the day, we all deeply care about each other's well-being.

My stepfather walked towards my mother. Wrapping his arm around her tiny waist, he tenderly assured, "You have so many exceptional skills that triumphantly overshadow for your lack of cooking skills, luv. Don't get so worked up over something so trite."

My mother immediately pushed him away from her and swirled around to face everyone in the living room. Fierce rage burned in her grey eyes. "I'm going upstairs. I cannot stand to be in this room another minute around all of you liars! No one better follow me," she declared, proceeding towards the stairwell. Uncle Ian promptly stepped aside and directing his glance away from my mother. She stomped up the stairs but abruptly turned around on the first landing. "Almost forgot to mention one more thing," she began, narrowing her eyes at my stepfather. "You are not sleeping in our bedroom for the next few days, Bones. I don't care where you sleep in the house. That will sure as hell teach you a lesson to never lie to my face again just because you think I cannot handle the full truth!"

"Don't be like this, kitten," my stepfather objected, nearing the staircase.

My mother bellowed furiously, "Don't you dare take another step, Bones. I need my goddamn space away from you. Is that too much to ask for?"

Running his hand through his hair, my stepfather huffed in frustration. He crossed his arms across his chest. "Just because you are blazing angry with all of us doesn't mean you take it all out on me, luv. That's not fair."

"I don't give a rat's ass if it's not fair to you. You're not going to sweet-talk your way out of this arrangement, _honey_ ," she countered, putting much emphasis on that one word. Normally it was an extremely endearing term to refer to a loved one. Except in this case it was the complete _opposite_. It was said in a spiteful mocking manner.

My mother stormed up the staircase as her footsteps noisily stomped against the wooden staircase. The sound of a door slamming loudly echoed downstairs. Everyone just awkwardly stared at each other.

I decided to break the uncomfortable silence. Hastily glancing at the neon green clock on the wall, it read 12:30 am. "It's getting very late. Sleep would do us all a world of good."

Five set of eyes fixed on me.

"Fine we'll call it a night since I'm too exhausted to further grill your boyfriend," my father said. "Don't think you will go unpunished for blatantly lying to us. Let this be a lesson to you, young man, to never show up at the house _without_ our approval."

My stepfather nodded in full agreement.

"We want to make sure whoever dates our beloved Katie truly appreciates and cherishes her. We still don't know much about you. You will come to dinner tomorrow evening so we can get to know the real Oliver Johnson," my grandmother added.

Oliver tersely bobbed his head. "Yes ma'am."

"I'll be right back just going to say goodnight to my boyfriend." Tugging my boyfriend to his feet, I swiftly guided him towards the front door. Ollie didn't try to resist against my unrelenting yanks. Poor guy has been mercilessly interrogated by my intimidating family members. He seriously deserves a gold medal for enduring it with the utmost respect despite the glaringly obvious uneasiness. They essentially scared my boyfriend shitless.

Twisting the door knob open, I forcefully nudged my boyfriend out of the house onto the porch. My stepfather loudly cleared his throat garnering my attention. "We'll be seeing you tomorrow at 8 o'clock for dinner, young lad. Don't be late!" my stepfather demanded. The emerald glower has disappeared revealing his normal brown irises. Yet, the reprimanding expression never left his face.

Slamming the front door shut behind us, I yanked Oliver to the other end of the porch. The darkness enveloped our bodies. It gave some privacy from my nosy family prying on us. All of them could still hear us with their supernatural hearing.

"I'm so sorry for that, Ollie. While they can be relentlessly frightening, my family is overprotective about my well-being. Just give it some time and they'll become slightly less intimidating. My family will see how you're the best thing that came into my life," I reassured my boyfriend. Tightly wrapping my arms around his torso, I affectionately nuzzled my head against his chest.

The tension in his rigid body slowly dissipated. Oliver ran his long, slim fingers ran through my hair. "You're damn well worth the wait, Katie," he softly whispered into my ear. A smile stretched across his face. Tenderly holding my face in his large hands, my boyfriend kissed my lips with unrestraint urgency. His hands slid down my body, slipped under my baggy t-shirt, and planted firmly on my waist. Oliver closed the distance between our bodies. The brisk fall air combined with Oliver's feather-like touch on my bare skin sent a shiver down my spine. Snaking my arm around his neck, I deepened the kiss recklessly losing myself in the moment. We have no idea how many minutes passed.

The front door suddenly burst open. So completely immersed in our intimate moment neither of us saw my father and stepfather standing a few away. Impatiently tapping his foot against the wood porch, "Katie get back into the house this instant," my father ordered, furrowing his eyebrows in annoyance.

Caught in our compromising position, a bright red flush colored my cheeks. My stepfather and father could see my flaming scarlet cheeks, without a doubt, in the near-pitch darkness. Oliver and I immediately jumped apart. My boyfriend shoved his hand into the pockets and sheepishly stared down at the ground. "Good night, Katie." He swiftly walked away without glancing back at me.

"We'll see you tomorrow evening, Oliver, and _not_ before," my stepfather reminded.

I pushed past them back into the house. Everyone except my grandmother had vacated the living room. _Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives_ marathon played on The Food Network channel. She was sound asleep comfortably lounging on the suede sofa.

"We were once you age too, darling, so don't think you can sneak around with your boyfriend behind our back," my stepfather reiterated in a reprimanding tone.

After tonight's fiasco, I had no energy left to come up with a snarky response. It wasn't worth it. You have to determine what battles are worth engaging in. I lethargically trudged up the stairs to my bedroom completely ignoring them.

I flopped face forward onto my bed. _All of tonight's fiasco could have been entirely avoided if Ollie didn't decided on surprising me by showing up at the house unexpected. I specifically told him to not come to the house unless I told him to. Dammit I didn't want to tell my family about my boyfriend until another couple of weeks. Well the cat is out of the fucking bag now. If only I could turn time back._ Oliver had expressed eager interest in meeting my family. We're still in the early stage of our relationship. Oliver Johnson is the one of the few good things in my life right now. It's extremely refreshing we can be true selves around each other. Now I just have to make sure my nosy family members doesn't frightened him away. Family is sure as hell not always easy to deal with, but I cannot imagine my life without them.

My life was now even more complicated. So many conflicted thoughts were churning in my head like a whirlwind hurricane. Yet, it wasn't long before my eyes fluttered close and I fell fast asleep.

* * *

 _ **Stay tuned for the next chapter of The New Normal!**_

 _ **I appreciate your support of my story!**_


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